TSO Notes:

• Today’s announcement that Josef Newgarden would serve as the 2017 honorary chair of Rev, presented by Fifth Third Bank took place at milktooth, a breakfast and brunch diner located in the Fletcher Place neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. 

• Recently rated as one of the best restaurants in the world, milktooth is headed by chef Jonathan Brooks, who will be pairing with Newgarden to create a driver inspired dish for Rev on May 6, 2017. For today’s announcement, Brooks was inspired by Newgarden’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee to utilize a smoked pork shoulder in his pork/jalapeño/cheese nachos. Yes, I tried them, and yes they were fantastic. If you live in the Indianapolis area, or are visiting, I highly recommend a visit to milktooth. Note: they have the BEST drip coffee in Indianapolis. 

• Rev is the main fundraiser for the Methodist Health Foundation, and in 2016, the annual “Month of May” kick-off event raised $550,000, a 425% increase over the inaugural event. The fundraising goal for 2017 is $600,000.
• The event sold-out of their 3000 tickets in March last year, and sold all of their VIP Tickets for 2017 in four hours, so if you are planning on attending, buy your tickets now –> Rev, Presented by Fifth Third Bank tickets 
• A total of 29 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers, legends of the Indianapolis 500 and Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire drivers took part in the 2016 event . The full list included: Neil Alberico, Mikhail Aleshin, Marco Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais, Geoff Brabham, Matthew Brabham, Gabby Chaves, Max Chilton, Bryan Clauson, Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, Jack Hawksworth, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Kaiser, Sage Karam, Tony Kanaan, Dalton Kellett, Charlie Kimball, Pippa Mann, Juan Montoya, Carlos Munoz, Simon Pagenaud, Spencer Pigot, Will Power, Graham Rahal, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, and Zach Veach.

• In 2016, the event had a total of 62 eateries and food service groups participate. The full list included: Acosta Food Service, AdvancePierre Foods, Arni’s Restaurant, Blondie’s Cookies, Bluebeard, Cerulean, Circle City Soups, Circle City Sweets, Clabber Girl, Copper Moon Coffee, Delicia, Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Fogo de Chao, Food Guys Catering Co., Gates Catering, Georgia Reese’s Southern Table and Bar, GiGi’s Cupcakes, Goose the Market/Smoking Goose, Gordon Food Service, Harry and Izzy’s, Hops and Fire,  Indiana University Health Center – Nutrition Services, Jacks, Donuts, JW Marriott Indianapolis, Just Pop In!, La Margarita Restaurant, Levy Restaurants at IMS, Libertine Liquor Bar, Lucky Louie’s Sausage and Hot Dogs, Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, McFarling Foods, Mesh On Mash, Mimi Blue Meatballs, Monon Food Company, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Mo’s… A Place For Steaks, Ocean Prime, Peterson’s Restaurant, Plow and Anchor, Prime 47, Revery, Rook, Sangiovese Ristorante, Sangrito Saloon, Second Helpings, Smarter Chocolate. And Then Some, Some Guys Pizza, Spice Box, St. Elmo Steakhouse, The Cake Bake Shop, The Chef’s Academy at Harrison College, The Core Group, The District Tap, The North End Barbecue and Moonshine/Late Harvest Kitchen, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, The Willows on Westfield, Tilly’s Tea Room, Tinker Street, Vanilla Bean Bakery, Vida, Union 50, US Foods, and Waypoint, 

Check out last year’s event:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=vpjDo0BBwE4%3Fmodestbranding%3D1%26rel%3D0%26hd%3D1%26showinfo%3D0%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Event Release:

Rev, presented by Fifth Third Bank, announces Verizon IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgarden as 2017 honorary chair; Milktooth joins restaurant lineup.

INDIANAPOLIS–Jan. 17, 2017–Methodist Health Foundation announces Verizon IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgardenas the Rev 2017 honorary chair, for the fourth annual event taking place May 6 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“This is our main fundraiser which also serves to kick off the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Methodist Health Foundation Chief Development Officer Sally McGuffey.

“Rev has grown to become one of the city’s premier foodie events, with cuisine inspired by drivers and Indy’s top chefs,” said McGuffey. “The event’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for Indiana University Health statewide trauma programs, including those that provide care for drivers and patrons at the Indiana University Health Emergency Medical Center of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

In his sixth Verizon IndyCar Series season, Newgarden posted impressive on-track results in 2016, finishing fourth in the championship with a win, six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. For the upcoming 2017 season, Newgarden joins Team Penske behind the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet.

“It’s a great honor to be partner with Rev this year for a cause that does so much for the community of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Newgarden. “The growth of this event in such a short time is a testament to the hard work everyone puts in to support Methodist Health Foundation. I’m really looking forward to helping the event continue the upward trend.”

The announcement introducing Newgarden as the honorary chair and driver spokesperson was made at Milktooth, an Indianapolis jewel owned by chef Jonathan Brooks, who is receiving national accolades for his culinary creations.

Ranked by Bonappetit.com in its top-10 best restaurants in the country, Milktooth joins Rev as part of the 2017 restaurant lineup participating in the May charity event, which showcases the Indianapolis culinary scene, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the INDYCAR drivers who race at IMS in the INDYCAR Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500.

Rev draws 3,000 to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to mingle with INDYCAR drivers and taste, dance to live music and enjoy small bites made and donated by more than 60 Indianapolis restaurants, who create driver-inspired dishes. Premiere tickets for the May 6 event are available for $300 each at RevIndy.org; VIP tickets are sold out.

During the announcement, Newgarden and Brooks presented a dish they collaborated on to local media and dignitaries, including IndyHub executive director Molly Chavers, who is serving as Rev 2017 co-chair along with Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) president and CEO, Rafael Sanchez, and Visit Indy Senior Vice President Chris Gahl. Also on hand to taste Brooks’ creation were Rook owner and Chef Carlos Salzar and Bluebeard owner and Chef Abbi Merriss, who are also creating dishes inspired by Newgarden for Rev.

Gahl said, “Indy’s chefs and our food scene as a whole continues to whet the appetite of media nationwide, with Conde Nast Traveler declaring Indy to be the most underrated food city in the U.S. and authority Zagat proclaiming Indy to be one of the hottest food cities in the nation. Revcelebrates Indy’s nationally recognized food scene with a sampling of the best restaurants in the city.”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles is thrilled to see the event come back to the track.

“We are excited to be hosting Rev again in 2017, which is now in its fourth year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Boles. “The relationship of IU Health and Methodist Health Foundation with IMS is over 100 years old and great events likeRev help make our partnership stronger than ever, while ensuring that both drivers and fans continue to receive top-notch care. Josef is a fantastic addition to this year’s Rev team and will ensure the event continues to grow and serve as an excellent Month of May kickoff.”